NHTSA Complaint #727410 — 1997 FORD EXPLORER

AT APPROXIMATELY 11;30 P.M. MAY 28, 1999,AS WE WERE TRAVELING ALONG INTERSTATE 10, JUST OUTSIDE OF TALLAHASSEE ,FLORIDA, MY EXPLORER SUDDENLY VEERED TOWARD THE LEFT ABRUPTLLY. A LOUD CRASHING SOUND WAS HEARD FROM THE RIGHT REAR OF THE VEHICLE. PULLING THE CAR ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, MY WIFE AND I CHECKED TO SEE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. MUCH TO OUR SURPRISE THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT TO THE RIGHT REAR TIRE EXCEPT SHREDS OF A RADIAL TIRE. LUCKY FOR US , THAT AT THE TIME OF THE PROBLEM, I WAS DRIVING AND NOT MY WIFE, AS SHE WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO MANUEVER DURING THE PROBLEM. ALSO THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE RIGHT LANE DUE TO THE LATE HOUR. WITH GREAT PROBLEM, WE CHANGED THE TIRE AND ARRIVED AT OUR DESTINATION QUITE SHAKEN UP. AFTER FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE TIRE AND THE VEHICLE THE NEXT MORNING, WE REALIZED THAT THERE HAD BEEN MUCH DAMAGE TO THE UNDERPANELS OF THE CAR. I MUST NOTE, THAT AT THE TIME WE WERE TRAILERING A WAVE RUNNER . SO YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS TO KEEP THE VEHICLE AND THE BOAT ON THE ROAD. AFTER RETURNING HOME, I WENT TO FIRESTONE , A WHICH TIME I WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD DO NOTHING FOR ME. I PURCHASED 2 NEW TIRES TO REPLACE THE BACK TIRES FROM FIRESTONE. ONE YEAR LATER , ALMOST TO THE EXACT DATE, WE WERE AGAIN VISITING IN THE TALLAHASSEE AREA, AND ON OUR WAY HOME THE CAR BEGAN TO SHAKE. AFTER GOING THROUGH THE ORDEAL THE LAST TIME, WE QUICKLY PULLED OVER TO CHECK THE TIRES AND SURE ENOUGH THE SAME THING WAS STARTING TO HAPPEN AGAIN. WE CHANGED THE TIRE AND CAME HOME. THE VERY NEXT DAY WE REPLACED ALL THE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE BUT NOT WITH FIRESTONE TIRES. I MUST MENTION THAT THERE WAS A TOTAL OF $920 WORTH OF DAMAGE DONE TO THE EXPLORER DURING THE MAY 1999 ACCIDENT. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE DONE DURING THE LATEST SHREDDING BECAUSE I KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING AGAIN. I AM QUITE UPSET WITH THE FACT THAT NOTHING WAS DONE FOR ME LAST YEAR OR THIS YEAR ECEPT A DENIAL ON FIRESTONES PART. MY FAMILY COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT, NOT ONCE BUT TWICE.